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Hydrogen Direct Reduction Iron (DRI) can be used to produce primary steel

Hydrogen Direct Reduction Iron (DRI) can be used to produce primary steel. Hydrogen DRI uses hydrogen as a reducing agent instead of carbon-intensive coke coal used during traditional steelmaking. This method is emerging as a more climate-friendly alternative to traditional blast furnace methods.

The following is a summary of how the hydrogen DRI process works: Iron ore, typically in the form of pellets or lump ore, is prepared for the reduction process. This preparation includes beneficiation to improve the ore’s purity and ensure it is suitable for reduction. The prepared iron ore is fed into a reduction reactor, where it is exposed to the reducing gas. In the hydrogen DRI process, hydrogen gas flows through the reactor at high temperatures and reacts with the ore. This reaction results in the production of metallic iron (sponge iron) and water vapor. The produced sponge iron is then cooled and can be handled for further processing. This direct reduced iron can then be used as a feedstock in electric arc furnaces (EAFs) to produce steel. 1

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Footnotes​

  1. Benavides, K., Gurgel, A., Morris, J., Mignone, B., Chapman, B., Kheshgi, H., & Paltsev, S. (2024). Mitigating emissions in the global steel industry: Representing CCS and hydrogen technologies in integrated assessment modeling. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 131, 103963. ↩